Safety device for preventing runaway accidents on bridges.



M- GOODMAN.

ENTING RUNAWAY AGOIDENTS 0N BRIDGES. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 0, 1909SAFETY DEVICE FOR PREV Patented July 5, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

rm: NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, u c.

M. GOODMAN. SAFETY DEVIGE FOR PREVENTING RUNAWAY ACCIDENTS 0N BRIDGES.

I APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1909. I 963,433.

Patented July'5, 1910.

2 sums-sum 2".

3n: NORRIS PETERS co.. wisumnrorv, a. n.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX GOODMAN, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR PREVENTING RUNAWAY ACCIDENTS ON BRIDGES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 8, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAX GOODMAN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing in New York, in the borough of Brooklyn, county ofKings, and State. of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Safety Devices for Preventing Runaway Accidents onBridges, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved safety device for preventingrunaway accidents on bridges.

On bridges, and more especially on suspension-bridges, such as thosecrossing the East River between New York and Brooklyn, many accidentshappen by horses getting frightened for some cause or other and runningaway so as to cause accidents to the horses and to the occupants of thevehicles. Frequently the horses and drivers are maimed or killed bycollision with the gates heretofore in use at the ends of the bridges.

The object of this invention is to furnish a device by which theaccidents and injury caused by runaway horses on bridges may be to agreat extent prevented; and the invention consists of a safety gate theposts of which are supported on carriages guided on ways of the bridgestructure, at both sides of the roadway, the gate being hinged to one ofthe posts and locked to the other post in case of accident, so that thegate intercepts the runaway horse or team and is moved a certaindistance by the same until the runaway is arrested.

The invention consists further of the combination, with the gate,gate-posts and carriages for the latter, of ropes, drums and winding-upmechanisms for returning the safety gate to its starting position on thebridge roadway, as will be fully described hereinafter and finallypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view ofmy improved safety gate for preventing runaway accidents on bridges,showing the safety gate in closed position ready for intercepting therunaway horse or team. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section showingthe safety device or gate on a larger scale, also in locked position,and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3, 3, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout theviews.

Referring to the drawings, a represents a safety gate which is made oftransverse bars or rails b which are connected at their ends by uprightpieces 6 the spaces between the lower and middle bars being filled up bya network of transverse and horizontal ropes d, and the space betweenthe middle and upper bars by pendent ropes d suspended from the upperbar or rail, so that the horse or horses may strike with their chestsand front-haunches against the lower part of the gate and with theirheads against the pendent ropes at the upper part of the gate withoutbeing injured. The upright piece 6 at one end of the gate a is securedby hinges e to an upright gate-post 7", while the upright piece 5 at theopposite end of the gate is provided with projecting lugs e which areengaged by stationary hooks e on the opposite gate-post 7, said hooksbeing preferably made slanting so as to permit engagement when the gateis moved by the attendant into closed position across the roadway of thebridge whenever a runaway approaches the gate. The gate-posts f, f areeach supported on a carriage g which is guided by means of rollers g atits upper and lower ends on a lower guide-rail g and between two upperguide-rails g which are attached to the bridge structure, at each sideof the roadway, being of sufficient length to permit the striking of thehorse or team against the safety gate and carrying it along for acertain distance until the horse or team is exhausted and arrested.

The lower ends of the carriages g are connected by means of hooks z witheyes 2' on the ends of wire or other ropes 2' which pass over pulleys 71through openings in the roadway to drums n, the transverse shaft n ofwhich is supported in suitable bearings n below the roadway, .as shownin Fig. 1. To one end of the drum-shaft n is applied a sprocket-wheel nwhich is connected by a sprocket-chain n with a sprocket-wheel a turningin bracket-bearings n on the side railing of the bridge structure, theshaft of the upper sprocket-wheel being provided with a crank n forturning the sprocketwheel a and winding up the ropes 2' on the drums 11,when after an accident it is neces sary to return the safety gate to itsinitial or starting position on the roadway of the bridge structure.Before returning the safety gate it is first opened by the attendant andthen returned together with the gate posts and their supportingcarriages into its former position alongside of the siderailing of thebridge structure, ready for the next closing movement whenever required.

Whenever an accident -0ccurs on the bridgeand a runaway horse or team isapproaching toward either end of the same, the attendant, who is postednear the safety gate, immediately closes the same by moving it inposition transversely across the roadway so as to lock it to theopposite gatepost. The impact of the horse or team with the safety gatemoves the same forward and carries it for a certaindistance along theways of the guard-rails, while at the same time the ropes are unwoundfrom. the drums until the horse orteam is graduallybrought to a fullstop. By the safety gate, which is comparatively inexpensive andreliable in its function, the danger of accidents and the injury'to thehorses and the occupants of the vehicles can be effectively prevented.

The safety gate can also be used at railway crossings, andwhereverprovision for preventing accidents to horse-drawn vehicles is tobe'made.

Having thus described my invention, I

. claim as new and desire to secure. by Letters Patent? I l. A safetygate for preventing runaway accidents on bridges, which comprises a gatecorresponding to the width of the roadway of the bridge, gate-posts forthe same, a

hinge-connection between the safety gate and oneof the gate-posts, meansfor locking the opposite end of the gate to the opposite gate-post, wayson the side-railings of the bridge structure, roller-carriages attachedto the gate-posts and guided on said ways,

andrmeans connected with said roller-carriages for returning the safetygate to its initial or starting position after it has been moved forwardon the roadway of the bridge.

2. A safety gate for preventing runaway accidents on bridges, comprisintwo gateposts, a gate hinged to one o the same, means on the oppositegate-post for locking the gate to the same, said gate being providedwith intercrossing ropes at the lower part and pendent ropes at theupper part, stationary guideways on the si e guardrails of the bridgestructure, roller-carriages attached to the gate-posts and guided onsaid ways, and means for returning the safety gate into its initial orstartingposition after the runaway has been stopped. V 3. A safety gatefor preventing runaway accidents on brid es, consisting of a gatecorresponding to tie width of the roadway of the bridge structure, .agate-post towh-ich one end ofthe gate is hinged, a second gatepostprovided with means for locking the gate thereto, roller-carriages towhich the gate-posts are attached, ways on the siderailings of thebridge structure for supporting the roller-carriages, ropes attached tothe lower part of the roller-carriages, drums supported below theroadway, and a sprocket-wheel and chain mechanism for winding the ropeson .the drums and returning the gate to its initial position after arunaway has been stopped. r

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX GOODMAN.

W'itnesses:

PAUL. GoErEL, J. A. (Zoom

